Egyptian fighter jets have struck the coastal town of Derna in eastern Libya, controlled by the Islamic State, after the jihadists executed 21 Coptic Christians in the North African country.

The warplanes struck at dawn. Targets included Targets included the headquarters of Ansar Al Shari’a, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State last October, and a police school.

A Libyan Air Force commander claimed 40-50 “militants” had been killed. However, other sources said there were civilian casualties, including children — an assertion supported by video and images of damage in densely-populated residential areas.

Claimed footage of the aftermath of the bombing:

DERNA LIBYA BOMBING

DERNA LIBYA BOMBING 2

The Egyptian military said in a statement:

The air strikes hit their targets precisely, and the falcons of our air forces returned safely to their bases. We affirm that avenging Egyptian blood and retaliating against criminals and killers is a duty we must carry out


Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi had promised retaliation after the Islamic State announced the beheading, its first outside Syria and Iraq, in a video vowing to fight “crusaders”.

Sisi, who declared seven days of national mourning, said the National Defense Council was deciding the response. His immediate steps included full support to the families of the victims, tightening a ban on travel to Libya, and easing the return of Egyptians from the western neighbor.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri is going to the United Nations to “place the international community before its responsibility and to take necessary procedures in line with the UN convention and to declare that what is happening in Libya threatens international peace and security”, the President said.

The Islamic State’s “Tripoli Province” (Wilayat Tripoli) claimed responsibility for the deaths of the Christians. Amid continued instability in Libya, following the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi in October 2011, three groups have recently pledged allegiance to the jihadist organization.

The Islamic State video showed the Egyptian workers, all wearing orange jump suits, near a waterfront said to be near Sirte in northern Libya on the Mediterranean.

Speaking in English, a jihadist said the beheadings were revenge for “Muslim women persecuted by Coptic crusaders in Egypt”.

The men were seized in two attacks in December and January from Sirte, the birthplace of Qaddafi.